# US 12,600,238 B2 · Vehicle and control method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,600,238 B2 - Document ID: US12600238B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/220,417 - Filed: 2023-07-11 - Published: 2024-05-09 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-11-04 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Inventors: Kyung Hyun Lim; Sang Jin Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600238B2 ## CPC - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - B60L 58/10: for monitoring or controlling batteries - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/14: Preventing excessive discharging - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries - H02J 7/865: {Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence)} - B60L 2240/547: Voltage - B60L 2240/549: Current - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle may include: an auxiliary battery configured to supply power to the vehicle; a low-voltage output unit configured to supply power to the auxiliary battery to charge the auxiliary battery; a battery sensor configured to measure a current of the auxiliary battery by charging or discharging the auxiliary battery; and a controller configured to control the low-voltage output unit, and determine a durability of the auxiliary battery based on an internal resistance, of the auxiliary battery, calculated using the current measured by the battery sensor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle comprising: an auxiliary battery configured to supply power to the vehicle; a low-voltage output unit configured to supply power to the auxiliary battery to charge the auxiliary battery; a battery sensor configured to measure a current of the auxiliary battery by charging or discharging the auxiliary battery; and a controller configured to: control the low-voltage output unit to supply, to the auxiliary battery, a current of a predetermined frequency; and determine a durability of the auxiliary battery based on a characteristic of an internal resistance, of the auxiliary battery, corresponding to the predetermined frequency, wherein the internal resistance is calculated using the current measured by the battery sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the low-voltage output unit to supply a sine wave current to the auxiliary battery so that the auxiliary battery is charged or discharged for calculation of the internal resistance of the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate the internal resistance of the auxiliary battery based on a change in the measured current of the auxiliary battery, and wherein the change in the measured current is generated by the sine wave current supplied by the low-voltage output unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate the internal resistance of the auxiliary battery based on a frequency of the sine wave current supplied by the low-voltage output unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on the internal resistance being increased under a condition that the frequency of the sine wave current being greater than or equal to a threshold frequency, control the low-voltage output unit to lower a charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on the internal resistance being increased under a condition that the frequency of the sine wave current being less than or equal to a threshold frequency, and based on the auxiliary battery being charged and discharged more than a threshold number of times, control the low-voltage output unit to lower a charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on the internal resistance being increased under a condition that the frequency of the sine wave current being less than or equal to a frequency threshold, and based on the auxiliary battery being charged and discharged less than a threshold number of times, control the low-voltage output unit to raise a charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the durability of the auxiliary battery after supplementary charging of the auxiliary battery is performed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to determine the durability of the auxiliary battery a predetermined period of time after the supplementary charging of the auxiliary battery is performed. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: controlling, by a controller, a low-voltage output unit to supply a sine wave current, of a predetermined frequency, to an auxiliary battery of a vehicle; measuring, using a battery sensor, a change in a current amount of the auxiliary battery generated by the sine wave current supplied to the auxiliary battery; based on the change in the current amount measured by the battery sensor, calculating, by the controller, a characteristic of an internal resistance, of the auxiliary battery, corresponding to the predetermined frequency; and controlling, by the controller and based on the characteristic of the internal resistance of the auxiliary battery, the low-voltage output unit to adjust a charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the change in the current amount of the auxiliary battery is based on a frequency of the sine wave current supplied by the low-voltage output unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the low-voltage output unit to adjust the charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery comprises controlling, based on the internal resistance being increased under a condition that the frequency of the sine wave current being greater than or equal to a frequency threshold, the low-voltage output unit to lower the charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the low-voltage output unit to adjust the charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery comprises controlling, based on the internal resistance being increased under a condition that the frequency of the sine wave current is less than or equal to a frequency threshold, and based on the auxiliary battery being charged and discharged more than a predetermined number of times, the low-voltage output unit to lower the charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the low-voltage output unit to adjust the charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery comprises controlling, based on the internal resistance being increased under a condition that the frequency of the sine wave current being less than or equal to a frequency threshold, and based on the auxiliary battery being charged and discharged less than a predetermined number of times, the low-voltage output unit to raise the charging voltage being supplied to the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: controlling, by the controller and before the controlling of the low-voltage output unit to supply the sine wave current to the auxiliary battery, the low-voltage output unit to supply power to the auxiliary battery for supplementary charging of the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining whether a stabilization time has elapsed after the supplementary charging of the auxiliary battery is completed, wherein the controlling of the low-voltage output unit to supply the sine wave current to the auxiliary battery is performed based on the stabilization time being greater than or equal to a predetermined period of time. ### Claim 17 A vehicle comprising: a battery configured to supply power to the vehicle; a charging node configured to charge the battery; a battery sensor configured to sense at least one battery parameter of the battery; and a control circuit configured to: determine, based on the at least one battery parameter, a characteristic of an internal resistance of the battery, wherein the characteristic of the internal resistance is associated with a characteristic of an alternating current supplied to the battery; and generate, based on the characteristic of the internal resistance, a signal indicating a state of health of the battery, wherein the control circuit is configured to decrease or increase, based on the signal indicating the state of health of the battery, an input voltage applied to the battery, and wherein the state of health indicates a durability of the battery. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the at least one battery parameter comprises at least one of: the internal resistance, a voltage of the battery, a current of the battery, or a state of charge (SOC) of the battery. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the characteristic of the alternating current comprises at least one frequency of the alternating current, and wherein the characteristic of the internal resistance is determined based on the at least one frequency of the alternating current.